With one final, blood-curdling roar, the last of the Angel elites fell. Their bodies shattered, wings torn, and feathers soaked in blood drifted through the air like ash after a wildfire. But one still remained. The peak Tier 16 SSS-class Angel—the last of them—was still standing, barely. His body was drenched in blood, his armor cracked and scorched, but he refused to fall. His holy sword dragged behind him, scraping sparks across the broken ground as he staggered forward, defiant to the end. Then—Elira, Ataneya, Feylora, Seraphina, Cicero—all arrived at once, flanking Andona and Namyanna. Seven titans of power, surrounding him in a perfect circle. Swordlight, dragonfire, frost, and divine radiance erupted all at once. The sky above the fifth level split open, the very fabric of space groaning under the weight of their combined might. The Angel screamed one last time, a howl of rage and despair, before his body was consumed in a vortex of light and blood. And then—he exploded. His body was torn apart, shredded into nothing. Blood rained down like a storm, and silence fell. In that moment, as the last of his power faded, something awakened within Andona. Her bloodline—pure and ancient—finally broke free of its final seal. A surge of divine energy burst from her, flooding the entire fifth level in golden light. It was overwhelming, sacred, absolute. Ethan felt it instantly. Her power was rising fast—her bloodline had fully awakened. The Angel King’s legacy now burned in her veins. And beside her, Namyanna was caught in the aftershock. The fusion of frost and holy light surged through her body, igniting a violent resonance deep within her core. The sound of shattering ice echoed through the air as her power broke through its limits. She had ascended—Tier 16 SSS-class. Ethan exhaled slowly, a rare smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Perfect... That makes six of us now." Content originally comes from novel{f}ire.net Elira. Ataneya. Feylora. Namyanna. Andona. And himself. Six Tier 16 SSS-class powerhouses. A force that could shake the heavens. The silence that followed was broken by Feylora’s voice. "My Lord... do we keep going?" Ethan didn’t answer right away. His eyes were fixed on the far end of the fifth level, where the entrance to the sixth loomed. The sixth floor... No one knew what waited there. The so-called "Overlord" of the sixth level had already been slain. But that didn’t mean the real guardian wasn’t still ahead—stronger, smarter, deadlier. "We need to be sure," Ethan said coldly. He turned to Feylora and handed her two artifacts—Blade of the Fey and the Scepter of the Fey Sovereign. "Take point. If anything goes wrong, use the artifacts to open an escape route." Feylora accepted them with a solemn nod. "Understood, My Lord." Moments later, she stepped through the portal. A flicker of spatial energy—and she returned. "My Lord... it’s empty. No one’s there." "...Empty?" Ethan’s brows drew together. The others exchanged glances, unease settling in their chests. Every level of Sky Citadel had been heavily guarded. For the sixth to be completely deserted? That wasn’t a relief. "Let’s move," Ethan ordered. "We go together." They stepped through the portal—and what they saw made their hearts clench. No enemies. No traps. Just a vast, open sky bathed in soft, holy light. But the energy here... it was thick. Dense. Suffocating. Even breathing felt like inhaling molten gold. "It’s too quiet..." Elira murmured. Ataneya’s tail flicked, her instincts on edge. They scouted the entire floor, weapons drawn, senses sharp. Ethan’s gaze darkened. "This isn’t good. The quieter it is... the closer we are to the real threat." He raised his hand. "We move. Seventh level." As they stepped into the portal, the space around them rippled violently. A crushing pressure slammed down from all directions, like a mountain collapsing on their shoulders. And then—he appeared. A man in heavy armor, floating in the air, his eyes cold and merciless. Sky Citadel’s power burned around him like a living flame. "You insects..." he growled, voice low and thunderous, shaking the very air. "You dare trespass here? You must have a death wish." Ethan narrowed his eyes and immediately pulled up the system interface, scanning the man’s stats. Tier 16. SSS-class. Peak level. Another top-tier Angel. But this time... he was alone. Ethan didn’t flinch. He took two slow steps forward, his voice calm, sharp as a blade. "Save the speech. The rest of your kind? Dead. Now it’s your turn." "What did you say?!" the Angel’s eyes widened, fury twisting his face. But Ethan didn’t give him a chance to respond. "Kill him," he said flatly. "Andona—he’s one of yours, isn’t he?" "Take him down. Absorb his power." Andona’s aura exploded outward, golden wings unfurling behind her. A tidal wave of divine energy surged across the battlefield, blinding and absolute. The sky above them split open like torn fabric, and a torrent of blinding holy light came crashing down like a divine waterfall. The entire sixth level trembled under the weight of it, space itself groaning and warping from the sheer force. "That aura... is that—?!" "The Angel King’s bloodline?!" The armored man’s expression twisted in shock. His pupils shrank to pinpricks, and his face went pale—ashen, like he’d seen a ghost. He knew exactly what he was sensing. Andona’s power had fully awakened—and it wasn’t just strong. It was absolute. The pure, untainted bloodline of the Angel King. "Impossible... Someone in this era actually awakened that power?!" His voice cracked with disbelief, but it quickly turned to rage. His pride couldn’t handle it. With a furious snarl, he raised his hand—and the air around him exploded in a blinding surge of divine energy. Above him, a massive construct of light began to form—an enormous, radiant gate suspended in the sky. It shimmered with celestial brilliance, but beneath that beauty was something darker—something violent. Every beam of light that spilled from it carried a destructive force so intense it tore through the air like blades. Ethan’s eyes narrowed, his instincts screaming. "This isn’t just holy light... There’s something else in it. Something ancient. Something higher. If anyone takes that head-on, they’ll be vaporized." But Andona didn’t flinch. Her wings snapped open, golden and vast, and the full might of the Angel King’s bloodline surged from her like a divine storm. Another Gate of Heaven formed behind her—hers was purer, brighter, almost painful to look at. She raised her sword, her voice ringing out like a war horn. A beam of divine light erupted from her gate, slamming forward like a lance of judgment—just as the man unleashed his own. The two beams collided midair, and the world shattered. The sky cracked open. The ground buckled. Space itself tore apart like paper caught in a hurricane. The explosion was deafening, a constant roar that drowned out thought. Shockwaves ripped across the battlefield, forcing Ethan and the others to retreat, shielding themselves from the blast. Even then, Ethan felt his chest tighten, his bones vibrating from the pressure. Feylora gritted her teeth, her voice low and urgent. "My Lord... she’s strong, but he’s stronger. She can’t hold him off alone." Ethan’s jaw clenched. He could see it clearly now—the man wasn’t just resisting Andona’s power. He was pushing back. Hard. Andona’s divine aura was being chipped away, her light flickering under the weight of the enemy’s assault. Then Ethan’s gaze sharpened. He opened the system interface, scanning the man’s data. The name that appeared made his stomach drop.